Power Failures and Blackouts

News about power failures and blackouts, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Oct. 9, 2013

Federal authorities are investigating whether three attacks against power grid in Arkansas are linked, and utility officials are asking residents to remain alert to the threat of more trouble. MORE

Oct. 5, 2013

Metro-North Railroad is expected to return New Haven line to full service October 7, nearly two weeks after Con Edison power failure in Mount Vernon, NY, upended commutes for tens of thousands of travelers across Northeast. MORE

Oct. 1, 2013

Consolidated Edison acknowledges that power loss that has left travelers on Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven line struggling for days is most likely related to the utility’s work disconnecting a feeder cable for service upgrades; utility expects to reconnect cable by Oct 7, allowing Metropolitan Transportation Authority to restore full service to line shortly after. MORE

Sep. 30, 2013

United States Sen Charles E Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut call for federal audit and investigation four days after power loss upends service on much of Metro-North Railroad's New Haven line; pressure from senators comes as Metropolitan Transportation Authority says disruptions will likely continue for at least another week. MORE

Sep. 27, 2013

Commuters scramble for alternative routes day after power failure scrambled service on New Haven line of Metro-North Railroad; Gov Dannel P Malloy says service could return incrementally in the coming days as alternative power sources are tested, but expresses frustration with both Consolidated Edison and Metropolitan Transportation Authority. MORE

Sep. 11, 2013

Former North Dakota Sen Byron L Dorgan hopes his fiction book Gridlock, cowritten with David Hagberg, will focus more attention on nation's vulnerability to cyberattack on power grid. MORE

Sep. 4, 2013

Power failure affects nearly half of Venezuela, knocking out traffic lights and causing chaos in streets of Caracas; opposition politicians have accused government of failing to invest in adequate power grid, while government has suggested that political foes have sabotaged it. MORE

Sep. 1, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Jon Mooallem describes keeping track of power outages caused by squirrels, which are surprisingly more frequent than one would assume. MORE

Aug. 28, 2013

Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker in a stolen boom truck pulls down a dozen utility poles around Elmont, NY, striking wires and closing roads below in predawn drive that thousands of residents without power; worker, identified as Joel Grasman, appears to have taken truck to transport welding equipment because it did not fit in his own vehicle and it is unclear if he brought lines down intentionally. MORE

Aug. 1, 2013

Engineers, decade after largest blackout in American history, are installing and linking 1,000 instruments called phasor measurement units to try to prevent another catastrophic power failure; say units will provide diagnostic tool that work by measuring rhythm of current at different points on power grid. MORE

Jul. 11, 2013

Sudden end of Egypt's crippling energy shortages and re-emergence of police on the streets suggest that those opposed to ousted Pres Mohamed Morsi had tried to undermine his Islamist administration by disrupting overall quality of life. MORE

Jul. 11, 2013

Energy Department report finds that nation's entire energy system is vulnerable to increasingly severe and costly weather events driven by climate change. MORE

Jun. 6, 2013

Nawaz Sharif takes office as Pakistan’s prime minister for an unparalleled third time, vowing to tackle country’s crippling electricity crisis and issuing an urgent call for the end of American drone strikes on Pakistani soil. MORE

May. 28, 2013

Pakistanis take to streets to protest chaotic state of country's power delivery system as electricity shortages reach crisis proportions. MORE

May. 24, 2013

Blistering heat wave in north and western India causes widespread electricity cuts and leads residents to protest and even attack power company officials and property. MORE

Apr. 30, 2013

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s demand came after a company director said the executives were given over $600,000 for “exemplary” performance in handling Hurricane Sandy, other storms and a monthlong lockout of workers. MORE

Apr. 25, 2013

Generators have been backup for homeowners in rural America and twister- and hurricane-prone corners of country for decades, but they have also become popular with families in metropolitan areas across northern half of country that have been hard hit by so-called superstorms. MORE

Apr. 25, 2013

Electric companies are looking for ways to provide enough power at reasonable prices for electric cars; if millions of electric cars were plugged in at roughly the same time to recharge, effect on power grid could be enormous. MORE

Mar. 19, 2013

Sun is set to reach crest of 11-year sunspot cycle in fall, raising risk of geomagnetic solar storms that have potential to cripple communications and power grids on Earth; scientists say it is impossible to predict when next monster solar storm will erupt and if Earth will be in its path. MORE

Feb. 11, 2013

President Obama signs a disaster declaration for Connecticut following a massive snowstorm that knocked out power, the fifth time such a declaration has been signed in three years; the region has faced a string of natural disasters in recent years, including Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, and multiple snow events. MORE

Feb. 11, 2013

Several towns in Massachusetts are without power after waves breached sea walls and swamped entire electric systems, and hurricane-force winds toppled trees and utility poles in the aftermath of the snowstorm. MORE

Feb. 9, 2013

Entergy New Orleans, company that supplies power to Superdome, announces that faulty electrical relay device caused Super Bowl power outage; device has since been removed and will be replaced. MORE

Feb. 5, 2013

Investigation continues into power failure at New Orleans Superdome, which remains one of the oddest moments in Super Bowl history; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dismisses notion that incident would hurt city's chances of future host bids. MORE

Feb. 5, 2013

Jere Longman On Pro Football column expresses enthusiasm for several strange aspects of Super Bowl XLVII, between Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, including extended power failure. MORE

Feb. 4, 2013

Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl, 34-31, over San Francisco 49ers; game was delayed 34 minutes due to a power failure at the Superdome after the halftime show. MORE

Feb. 4, 2013

Super Bowl XLVII will forever be remembered for 35-minute power failure, which came just moments after Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones returned second-half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers. MORE

Dec. 10, 2012

Examination by The New York Times finds that the New York City Housing Authority was woefully unprepared to reach residents stranded by Hurricane Sandy without heat, power or access to supplies; while agency moved aggressively before the storm to encourage residents to leave, both it and the city government at large were woefully unprepared to help its residents deal with Hurricane Sandy’s lingering aftermath. MORE

Dec. 4, 2012

Utility employees who traveled from outside the metropolitan area say National Grid has not fully compensated them for their grueling 16-hour days they put in to help the Long Island Power Authority after Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Dec. 1, 2012

Long Island Power Authority chairman Howard E Steinberg resigns, continuing an exodus from the troubled agency, which has received harsh criticism from customers and elected officials for its response to Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Nov. 25, 2012

Ginia Bellafante Big City column examines the grievances aired against the New York City Housing Authority at a meeting for tenants of Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, intended to address aftermath of Hurricane Sandy; holds that the session revealed how deeply in opposition the reality of public-housing tenants is with the reality inhabited by the administrators to whom they are beholden. MORE

Nov. 22, 2012

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column observes that surging demand for backup generators in wake of Hurricane Sandy underscores way in which crucial public services, such as electricity grids, have been underfunded due to lack of revenues; contends issue of rebuilding nation's inadequate infrastructure must be prominent as Congress begins budget negotiations. MORE

Nov. 21, 2012

Licensed electricians are fielding surge in requests in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy as homeowners and landlords are told that Con Edison requires a professional inspection of structures in flood zones before power will be turned back on. MORE

Nov. 20, 2012

Most solar panel systems are tied to the electrical grid and susceptible to widespread power failures, but there are ways to tap solar energy when the grid goes down; batteries can be added to a home system or independent solar generators can be employed, as were used in areas hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Nov. 19, 2012

Editorial welcomes investigations by New York Gov Andrew Cuomo and Atty Gen Eric Schneiderman to discover why state's utilities, particularly Long Island Power Authority, were so inadequately prepared for Hurricane Sandy; cautions inquiries should not ignore degree to which Cuomo's office is responsible for state's power systems. MORE

Nov. 15, 2012

National Academy of Sciences releases report finding that terrorists could black out large segments of United States for weeks or months by attacking power grid and damaging hard-to-replace components; urges United States to take steps to protect its vulnerable electrical supply. MORE

Nov. 15, 2012

Attorney General Eric T Schneiderman’s office issues subpoenas to the Long Island Power Authority and Consolidated Edison as part of an investigation into whether the utilities violated state laws in their response to Hurricane Sandy. MORE

Nov. 14, 2012

New York Times examination of the performance of the Long Island Power Authority, which is still trying to restore power to customers, finds that authority is hampered by bad communication, antiquated maps and a lack of control; bungling of its handling of Hurricane Sandy has called into question LIPA's very future. MORE

Nov. 14, 2012

New York City continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, with some level of power being restored to all public housing complexes; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 14, 2012

Long Island continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but almost 12,000 eligible customers are still without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 13, 2012

New York City continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but some residents must continue to wait for electricians to certify that structures are safe enough for power to be reconnected; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 13, 2012

New Jersey continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but more than 1,700 customers remain without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 13, 2012

Long Island continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but 30,000 customers remain without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 13, 2012

Power failures after Hurricane Sandy served as an extreme example of the challenges business travelers face when they are on the road and need to recharge their smartphone, tablet or laptop. MORE

Nov. 12, 2012

New York City continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, with all but 2,617 customers remaining without power; number, however, does not include low-lying neighborhoods where residents must wait for electricians to certify that structures are safe enough for power to be reconnected; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 12, 2012

Long Island continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but 75,000 customers remain without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 12, 2012

Westchester County continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, with fewer than 1,300 customers remaining without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 12, 2012

New Jersey continues its recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but more than 15,000 customers remain without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

Long Island and Connecticut continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy but more than 100,000 customers are still without power on Long Island; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

New Jersey continues to recover from Hurricane Sandy but, about 21,000 customers remain without power; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

New York City continues to recover from Hurricane Sandy, but 42 schools remain closed due to storm damage or power problems; status of recovery efforts highlighted in chart. MORE

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